


Deluded by the Moon

by EmoPenguin4



Category: Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-23 19:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18708709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmoPenguin4/pseuds/EmoPenguin4
Summary: During an extraction, things go terribly wrong.





	Deluded by the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so yes. This is a thing. A Persona fanfic with an all-original cast. Er. I'm so sorry I haven't been posting recently.
> 
> So this is basically an awakening event for Faris, who gains his secondary Moon Persona from what's happening. It's kinda in the middle of nowhere, I know, but lemme just drop my hastily written ideas for the mechanics of this thing hereeeeee:
> 
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/17KSAmvt8oG77px6OEzNeaWobYHKo6UdvMukUwuYn0AQ/edit?usp=sharing

            “Naia,” Faris calls the attention of one of his leaders.

            Naia turns around and notices Faris looking at her. She slows down to match his pace. “Yes?”

            Faris rubs his arm and looks down. “Do you… do you think we’ll make this rescue in time?”

            Naia takes a deep breath, unsure of how to answer. By this point, Raziel had also noticed Faris’ discomfort and places a comforting arm around him. Faris is taken aback momentarily, but does sink into the comfort of his leader’s arm. Naia turns to Raziel for answers, but her fellow leader simply shrugs his free shoulder in response.

            He does say, “Ferr, Nai and I promise that we will rescue Ernst and you two can retire from all this Shadow business afterward. I know you’d love that.”

            Faris’ lips curl into a soft smile at the thought. “Yeah, we can get back to our normal school life afterward. It’s gonna be stable again.”

            Everything will be over before long. How long has it been since he’s ever had a good night’s rest? “Navi, how far till we get to our destination?”

            “At this rate, we should be there in about 10 minutes.”

            He nods. “Naia, is everyone ready?”

            She smiles and pats Faris’ back before detaching and walking ahead. “Yep, everyone is ready and rarin’ to go.”

            And it doesn’t take long till the group reunites with Ernst. Faris runs ahead when he feels safe and tackles Ernst into a hug. “Ernst, oh my _god_ , you had me so worried!”

            Ernst clings to Faris, shaken from being alone without any help. “Thank god you all reached me when you did. I thought I was a goner for sure.”

            The group walks within speaking distance of the two, and Naia says, “I insisted we prioritize your wellbeing. We’re all really glad you’ve been safe thus far--”

            A click. “Don’t speak too soon.”

            She turns around and notices a man standing and facing the pair embracing with a gun in hand. Naia’s eyes widen as she considers what to do next.

            Raziel takes cautious steps forward as he realizes the tensity of the situation.

            Faris’ eyes light aflame. “ _Nevin_. So you really are that kinda guy.”

            Nevin raises a brow. “What, did I ever give you a reason to doubt?”

            Ernst releases their embrace and faces Nevin. “Certainly not, what with how I’ve been advising him about you for this past semester.”

            “Ah, lover boy.” Nevin sneers at Ernst but keeps his gun trained on Faris. “Shut up, I was talkin’ to this fag over here.”

            Faris stands protectively with an arm in front of Ernst. “Whatever it is you wanted to talk about can wait until after we leave this place.”

            “This conversation happens now. I’m the one with the gun.”

            Philia almost raises her gun, but Raziel reaches to her hand and shakes his head. “Trust Faris,” he whispers.

            “Ernst is exhausted, scared, and defenseless. We can have a _fucking conversation_ out in reality when I’ve dropped him off at his condo!”

            Nevin’s face alights with fury as he straightens his grip on his pistol and makes his intent clear. “I’m losing my patience.”

            “And I’m losing _mine!_ Do you know how tiring it is to be here without a Persona? Do you?!”

            “Shut the fuck up and we can talk—”

            “--outside where we can all go to a café and—”

            “ _SHUT UP!_ ”

            And without thinking, Nevin pulls the trigger.

            “ _Watch out!_ ”

            In a flash, Ernst jumps in front of Faris. A sharp, earsplitting noise shakes the field and strikes fear into everyone present. “Get down,” both leaders yell at the same time. Raziel and Naia both dive for the ground, pulling anyone they can with them. A minute passes as the rumbles finally subside and the air is clear of noise.

            In an instant, Faris falls to his knees in front of Ernst and holds the man close to him, grief uncontrollable and unchecked. Faris tightly grasps Ernst’s hand, quivering in despair.

“Ernst?!”

            Faris shakes Ernst’s cold, dying body, not quite knowing what to do with himself. Or with his dying companion. “Ernst…!?”

            Naia is about to step forward when she feels someone’s arm across her stomach stopping her from moving. Philia shakes her head and looks forlorn. “I’ve… I’ve seen this happen before. There’s no coming back for Ernst. Give Faris this moment.”

            A small sputtering cough can be heard. “Ernst?!”

            A heavy breath comes from the dying man. “…Fa…ris…”

            Faris’ next breath comes out choked as he forces his next words out in a hurry: “Don’t speak, _please_ conserve your strength.”

            Ernst slowly pulls his free hand up to reach for Faris’ face. He brushes off tears that freely fall from the grieving man’s cheeks. “I don’t… think I can…”

            “You’ll be _fine!_ ” Faris forces this out of himself, if only for his own benefit. “I’ll carry you to… to the closest hospital if I have to…!”

            Ernst lets out a pained breath. “You… you have to… let me go.”

            “No…” Faris gazes at Ernst longingly. The pain in his eyes is telling him to look away, but the pain in his heart must be telling him to stay. “You… you c-can’t—”

            “I... I’m so glad… in the end…” Ernst lowers his hand, but Faris catches it immediately. “Someone who cares… stays with me…”

            Faris shakes so hard, but he does his best to steady himself for Ernst. “It-it won’t be the end… I promise…!”

            Ernst bitterly chuckles. “I’m sorry… you won’t… keep that… prom…”

            Raziel and Naia both have the same thing on their minds. Ernst has just drawn his last breath.

            Faris has no energy. All that can be heard are the uncontrollable sobs of someone who has just lost their everything.

            Despite this vulnerable moment, a detached laugh can be heard from in front of the group. Philia is the first to run in front of Faris and ready herself to protect her grieving brother unknown danger. Not too far behind are Raziel, Naia, Gavin, Risk, Saffy.

            “Nevin,” Philia regards the gunman coldly. “I should’ve known you were gonna betray us.”

            “Too bad you didn’t see it coming, eh, Phi?”

            Philia draws her handgun from its holster. “You have no right to call me that. Now hold still so I can shoot you down.”

            Nevin has the gall to laugh in response. “Go ahead, try it.”

            Nothing happens as Philia pulls the trigger. She tries again. But nothing. “Shit, why won’t it shoot?!”

            “Because it’s not real.”

            Philia holds in a scream of fury. “I don’t need a gun, what will be real is your teeth flying out of your face when I get you for hurting Grey!” She swiftly holsters the now-useless pistol and powerwalks to Nevin, winding up for a good punch.

            “Theodon,” Nevin calls out just as Philia’s punch connects.

            Suddenly, Philia is facing the opposite way she originally stood. The events that just transpire register in seconds as she reflexively maneuvers away from Nevin. “Did he just—”

            “Distort reality? Why, yes, I just did,” Nevin claims nonchalantly.

            “So, all those unusual crimes,” Raziel steps forward to address Nevin, “those were your doing?”

            “If you could bend physical reality to your whim, wouldn’t you do anything with it?”

            “You’re disgusting and have no right to that kind of power,” Naia interjects strongly. “You literally killed our comrade and broke Faris without remorse!”

            “Remorse? I guess I felt that, long ago,” Nevin chuckles and points the gun at the group in front of him. “Now, who wants to go first?”

            “— _Dionysus_!”

            Without warning, a wave of darkness envelops the group and hides them away from Nevin’s sight. When the darkness clears, Faris can be seen barely on his feet with a new Persona hovering above and behind him.

            A multitude of shots can be heard from somewhere off to the side. Raziel and Naia worriedly check if the bullets are coming for them, but soon realize that the shots were aimed at illusions of the group. “Faris, is this…”

            Faris steps forward and walks past Raziel and Naia. A cluster of Faris illusions and a barrier forming around the group are all that can be seen before Faris shouts, “ _Begone from my sight!_ ”

            A rain of blackened meteors rain from Dionysus’ extended goblet as Faris raises his spear to Nevin. With barely any time to react, Nevin reflexively calls for Theodon.

            But Faris refuses to lose to Nevin. The moment Faris notices reality distort, he calls Dionysus in a powerful war cry and dispels the warp. Faris fearlessly makes his way to Nevin’s position and stands in front of him. “You… you _killed_ Ernst. You killed the one brilliant thing in my life.” Faris raises his spear and points it at Nevin’s neck. “I’m going to collect my pound of flesh, now.”

            Nevin chuckles and snaps his fingers. And suddenly, he’s gone.

            “Wh—did he really just?”

            Faris’ anger fades from his face, melting into a grimace as he stumbles backwards and nearly falls. Raziel catches Faris just in time and stabilizes him. “You okay, Ferry?”

            Faris shakily holds on to Raziel’s arms and pulls himself up. “Y-yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Razi.”

            Raziel lets go after a moment’s hesitation. He assesses the group’s well-being after the assault by Nevin. “Everyone okay?”

            Naia salutes, “No worries with us. You?”

            Raziel quietly watches Faris approach Ernst’s body. “Yeah, Faris and I are fine,” he says while watching Faris kneeling and closing Ernst’s eyes. Faris sits down and pulls Ernst into his lap, fixing the dead man’s appearance wherever he can.

            “Faris, you can grieve, like I promised—”

            Faris stands up while carrying Ernst’s corpse. “I-I… have to fight. I can’t rest until… until I avenge him. I know Ernst would want what’s best for me, but I want to see his name remembered fondly. I want to share his bravery, his… his willingness to give up his life for a lovesick fool like me.” Faris adjust his grip on Ernst, carrying the long-gone man on his back. “I can still fight, but I want to bring him back for a proper burial. It’s the least I know I can do for him.”

            Faris is encumbered by the weight of his heartbreak both literally and figuratively. Raziel respects his decision and nods. “Tell me, how are you feeling?”

            Faris lets out a shaky breath. “Like all I can feel is the negative void. But I think I have a good grip on Dionysus.”

            Faris can’t use his weapon or summon his Hermit persona today. “You sure you want to chase Nevin now?”

            Faris gives a resolute nod. “We’ll lose him if we leave now. I want justice for the one man I can say I truly loved.”

            Raziel feels hurt over Faris’ word choice but makes no comment. Naia pats Raziel on the back and whispers, “You’ll either have your chance another time, or you’ll find someone else.”

            “I know, Nai. I just wish I could be of more use to Ferr.”

            Naia looks over to the group and notices them all gazing sadly at Faris’ back, with Ernst on his shoulders. “Trust me, Raz, we all do.”

            “Move out,” the two leaders give the command as they walk astride Faris, approaching the staircase and steeling their hearts for whatever treachery might come next.


End file.
